| Colin Powell | |
|---|---|
| Rank | General |
| Unit | 3rd Armored Division 23rd Infantry Division |
| Commands | Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Forces Command V Corps 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War Invasion of Panama Gulf War |
What did Colin Powell do in the Gulf War?
During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Persian Gulf War.
What is the other name of Colin Powell?
Alternative Title: Colin Luther Powell. Colin Powell, in full Colin Luther Powell, (born April 5, 1937, New York, New York, U.S.), U.S. general and statesman. He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93) and secretary of state (2001–05), the first African American to hold either position.
What happened to Colin Powell?
"Colin L. Powell, former secretary of state and military leader, dies at 84". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021. ^ a b c Walsh, Lawrence E. (1997). Firewall: The Iran–Contra Conspiracy and Cover-up. New York: Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-3933-1860-9.
How long was Colin Powell a soldier?
Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, holding a variety of command and staff positions and rising to the rank of general. While attending the City College of New York, Powell joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).
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Who is Colin Powell?
Colin Luther Powell ( / ˈkoʊlɪn /; born April 5, 1937) is an American politician, diplomat and retired four-star general who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. Powell was the first African-American Secretary of State. Prior to the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, ...
When was Colin Powell's last military assignment?
Powell in November 1989, in his official Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff portrait. Powell's last military assignment, from October 1, 1989, to September 30, 1993, was as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense.
What did Colin Powell say about Obama?
Powell reiterated that Obama was a "transformational figure." In a video that aired on CNN.com in November 2011, Colin Powell said in reference to Barack Obama, "many of his decisions have been quite sound. The financial system was put back on a stable basis."
What did Powell say to McCain?
In a September 2006 letter to Sen. John McCain, General Powell expressed opposition to President Bush's push for military tribunals of those formerly and currently classified as enemy combatants. Specifically, he objected to the effort in Congress to "redefine Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention.".
How is Colin Powell's name pronounced?
Despite his parents' pronunciation of his name as / ˈkɒlɪn /, Powell has pronounced his name / ˈkoʊlɪn / since childhood, after the World War II flyer Colin P. Kelly Jr. Public officials and radio and television reporters have used Powell's preferred pronunciation.
What are the awards that Colin Powell has received?
Powell's civilian awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom (twice), the Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal.
Where did Colin Powell go to college?
Powell was educated in the New York City public schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a bachelor's degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958.
The Secret History of ISIS (2016)
In Powell’s 2003 speech before the U.N., he repeatedly mentioned Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, purporting the then-relatively unknown radical jihadist to be a key connection between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. As this documentary from Kirk, Gilmore and Wiser recounts, Powell’s U.N.
Truth, War & Consequences (2003)
Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria traced the roots of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq back to the days immediately following 9/11, probing the fierce internal debate between the Pentagon and the State Department over intelligence purportedly justifying the war and over what a post-Saddam Iraq would look like.
What was Colin Powell's military career?
Early Military Career. Reagan and Bush Administrations. Iraq Controversy. Retirement. Jamaican-American military official and diplomat Colin Powell was born in New York in 1937. After serving two tours in Vietnam, he ascended the military ranks while earning positions at the Pentagon and the Department of Defense.
What did Colin Powell get wounded by?
That same year, he was one of 16,000 advisers sent to South Vietnam by President John Kennedy. In 1963, Powell was wounded by a punji-stick booby trap while patrolling the Vietnamese-Laotian border. During this first tour of duty, he was awarded a Purple Heart and, a year later, a Bronze Star.
Why did Powell go to war with Bush?
Bush decided to go to war and, in a crucial moment, Powell agreed to support the president. To advance the case for war with the international community, Powell appeared before the U.N. Security Council in February 2003 to present evidence that Iraq had concealed an ongoing weapons development program.
Why did Colin Powell resign?
Bush’s secretary of state in 2000, but resigned in 2004 after acknowledging his defense of an Iraq invasion was based on faulty information.
Why did Colin Powell come under fire?
During his tenure, Powell came under fire for his role in building the case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Initially, Powell had serious misgivings about President Bush’s plan to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein. Powell believed the policy of containment was sufficient to control the Iraqi regime.
Why did Colin Powell start America's Promise Alliance?
Along with his wife, Powell began America’s Promise Alliance, as part of their dedication to the wellbeing of children and youth of all socioeconomic levels and their commitment to seeing that young people receive the resources necessary to succeed. Colin Powell began his American journey from ordinary circumstances.
How many children does Colin Powell have?
While stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, Colin Powell met Alma Vivian Johnson of Birmingham, Alabama, and they married in 1962. The couple now has three children: son Michael, and daughters Linda and Annemarie. That same year, he was one of 16,000 advisers sent to South Vietnam by President John Kennedy.
Where did Colin Powell grow up?
The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell grew up in the Harlem and South Bronx sections of New York City and attended the City College of New York (B.S., 1958), serving in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
Who succeeded Colin Powell?
Considered a political moderate in an administration dominated by hard-liners, Powell saw his influence in the White House wane, and he announced his resignation in 2004, shortly after Bush’s reelection; he was succeeded by Condoleezza Rice in 2005.
When did Powell take over the Army?
Early in 1989 Powell took over the Army Forces Command. In April 1989 Powell became a four-star general, and in August Pres. George Bush nominated him chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Who was the first African American to hold either position?
Colin Powell, in full Colin Luther Powell, (born April 5, 1937, New York, New York, U.S.), U.S. general and statesman. He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93) and secretary of state (2001–05), the first African American to hold either position.
Powell's First Tour Advising South Vietnamese Generals
Powell arrived in Vietnam on Christmas Day 1962. It was the early days of U.S. military involvement in the ongoing conflict that pitted the communist North Vietnamese against the pro-Western government of the South.
Second Tour and the My Lai Massacre Cover-Up
In between Powell’s first and second tours in Vietnam, the career soldier enrolled in a series of prestigious officer training programs and repeatedly graduated at the top of his class.
From 'Vietnam Syndrome' to the Powell Doctrine
More than 58,000 U.S. servicemen died during the decade-long war in Vietnam. Following the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1973, U.S. military leadership was forced to reassess its decision to intervene in other countries’ civil wars.
Overview
Colin Luther Powell was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American Secretary of State. He served as the 15th United States national security advisor from 1987 to 1989 and as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.
Early life
Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Jamaican immigrants, Maud Ariel (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell. His parents were both of mixed African and Scottish ancestry. Luther worked as a shipping clerk and Maud as a seamstress. Powell was raised in the South Bronx and attended the now closed Morris High School, from which he graduated in 1954.
Military career
Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, holding a variety of command and staff positions and rising to the rank of general.
While attending the City College of New York, Powell joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). He described the experience as one of the happiest experiences of his life. According to Powell:
Potential presidential candidate
Powell's experience in military matters made him a very popular figure with both American political parties. Many Democrats admired his moderate stance on military matters, while many Republicans saw him as a great asset associated with the successes of past Republican administrations. Put forth as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 1992 U.S. presidential election or e…
Secretary of State (2001–2005)
President-elect George W. Bush named Powell as his nominee to be secretary of state in a ceremony at his ranch in Crawford, Texas on December 16, 2000. This made Powell the first person to formally accept a Cabinet post in the Bush administration, as well the first black United States secretary of state. As secretary of state, Powell was perceived as moderate. Powell was unanimousl…
Life after diplomatic service
After retiring from the role of Secretary of State, Powell returned to private life. In April 2005, he was privately telephoned by Republican senators Lincoln Chafee and Chuck Hagel, at which time Powell expressed reservations and mixed reviews about the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, but refrained from advising the senators to oppose Bolton (Powell ha…
Political positions
Powell was a moderate Republican from 1995 until 2021, when he became an independent following the 2021 United States Capitol attack. He was pro-choice regarding abortion, and expressed some support for an assault weapons ban. He stated in his autobiography that he supported affirmative action that levels the playing field, without giving a leg up to undeserving persons because of racial issues. Powell originally suggested the don't ask, don't tell policy to Pre…
Personal life
Powell married Alma Johnson on August 25, 1962. Their son, Michael Powell, was the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2001 to 2005. His daughters are Linda Powell, an actress, and Annemarie Powell. As a hobby, Powell restored old Volvo and Saab automobiles. In 2013, he faced questions about his relationship with the Romanian diplomat Corina Crețu, afte…